3CX as a call answering service

[garyjduk]

A client wants to start a call answering service and I would like to know if anyone has set this up before using 3CX?

Each client will be given a dedicated number and their company number will diverted to this number when not available or busy. When that number rings the answering service will answer the call using the name of the company.

What would be the best way for 3CX to identify the company that the call is for and notify the actual answering service operator as sometimes the original callerid will be passed by the diverted telephone.

I'm just trying to think what the best setup/best phones would be for the job.

Thanks

 

[Coretech]

Here is an example of what we have done that may help.

Create extension 501 to correspond with a line, for example Line (xxx)555-0501 for Business "A"
Create ring group 601 (call it Business "A") and include all your physical extensions you want to ring including 501
Assign the incoming Line/DID to Ring Group 601
Assign a BLF button to your phone for 501
Now when the line rings in, it rings all phones in Ring Group 601, including 501 which flashes on the button for Business "A". This allows you to identify what line is ringing and answer it accordingly. Do the same for the next lines.

We have several customers who have multiple businesses and it seems to work well. We came from the Nortel Digital phone system world and this used to be a breeze. Not being able to assign lines directly to keys makes things harder in 3cx. However, I will take that "con" for all the other "pros" of 3cx. Using specific phones "SLA" option could possibly work too.

We have used Aastra 57i phone with up to 3 - 536M modules and it works well, plus the buttons are easy to program. Hopefully this helps a little.

 

[sigma1]

By far the best and smartest wa is to simply give the the DID a friendly name (1st line of the DID setup screen). This will be in front of the calling number on the LCD screen. Using the BLF buttons is a bad idea for a high volume call center.

You can also assign that DID to a dedicated ring group (again, RG info on the LCD)... there are many ways to do it and 3CX is a great choice for that.

 

[garyjduk]

Excellent, thanks for the information.